The artist Mark Hearld finds his inspiration in the flora and fauna of the British countryside: a blue-eyed jay perched on an oak branch; two hares enjoying the spoils of an allotment; a mute swan standing at the frozen water's edge; and a sleek red fox prowling the fields. Hearld admires such twentieth-century artists as Edward Bawden, John Piper, Eric Ravilious and Enid Marx, and, like them, he chooses to work in a range of media - paint, print, collage, textiles and ceramics. Work Book is the first collection of Hearld's beguiling art. The works are grouped into nature-related themes introduced by Hearld, who narrates the story behind some of his creations and discusses his influences. He explains his particular love of collage, which he favours for its graphic quality and potential for strong composition. Art historian Simon Martin contributes an essay on Hearld's place in the English popular-art tradition, and also meets Hearld in his museum-like home to explore the artist's passion for collecting objects, his working methods and his startling ability to view the wonders of the natural world as if through a child's eyes.

"The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact." --C. S. Lewis In From Achilles to Christ, Louis Markos introduces readers to the great narratives of classical mythology from a Christian perspective. From the battles of Achilles and the adventures of Odysseus to the feats of Hercules and the trials of Aeneas, Markos shows how the characters, themes and symbols within these myths both foreshadow and find their fulfillment in the story of Jesus Christ--the "myth made fact." Along the way, he dispels misplaced fears about the dangers of reading classical literature, and offers a Christian approach to the interpretation and appropriation of these great literary works. This engaging and eminently readable book is an excellent resource for Christian students, teachers and readers of classical literature.

This volume takes readers on a fascinating journey through the visual arts of Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, contemplating the multivocal dialogues that occur between these artistic media and the texts and traditions of the Bible. With their distinctively antipodean perspectives, contributors explore the innovative ways that both creators and beholders of Oceanic arts draw upon their contexts and cultures in order to open up creative engagements with the stories, themes and theologies of the biblical traditions. Various motifs weave their way throughout the volume, including antipodean landscapes and ecology, (post)colonialism, philosophy, Oceanic spiritualities and the often contested engagements between western and indigenous cultures. Within this weaving process, each essay invites readers to contemplate these various forms of visual culture through Oceanic eyes, and to appreciate the fresh insights that this process can bring to reading and interpreting the biblical traditions. The result is a rich and interdisciplinary array of conversations that will capture the attention of readers within the fields of biblical reception studies, cultural studies, theology and art history.

Few devotional books have had the impact of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. Kempis was a 15th Century Augustinian monk whose entire life was devoted to the pursuit of communion with God. His words, originally intended for his fellow monastics, have since become one of the most widelyread spiritual books within the Christian tradition. In The Imitation of Christ, Kempis meditates on a number of themes, at the heart of which is renunciation of the world in favor of a Christ-centered existence. The Imitation of Christ is an influential piece of Christian writing with resonance for anyone on a spiritual path.

Representations of political power play an important role in Western art history from the late Middle Ages up to modern times. This volume by leading experts is a wide-ranging survey of significant trends in the development of political imagery.

Between the 12th and 14th centuries images of the suffering Christ proliferated in England, appearing in sermons, drama, church decorations, and spiritual treatises. Some scholars see these as signs of a new emphasis on Jesus's humanity, while other see renewed emphasis on a terrifying God of vengeance. Ellen Ross argues that these images served as a vivid narrative of God's mercy made tangible in Jesus Christ.

Artist Roger Bansemer gets an unexpected invitation to dive two and a half miles down into the Atlantic to the site of one of the most famous shipwrecks in history. Armed with his artist's eye and insight, he embarks on an expedition on a Russian research ship to the "Titanic. In this compelling journal, Bansemer's writing and stunning visual work bring us into the adventure, relaying the colorful characters on the expedition, the history and past grandeur of the "Titanic, and the aching beauty of the ship's underwater remains. "Titanic, as everyone knows, sank when it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. It was not seen again until the mid-80s when technological advances led to the development of sub-mersibles capable of diving to that depth. Bansemer became the 112th person to dive to the "Titanic, the sixth person under the stern, and the first artist to have painted Titanic on site. This book chronicles his journey in a mixture of paintings, photos, and digitally-painted images. Bansemer's fascination with painting people, especially the salty, nautical types, finds full expression. Meet buddy Lowell and diving partner Ralph; various Russian crewmen including Bird Man Pierre, Pirate Skippy, the cooks, the "cowboy" who "rides" the submersible; "Keldysh Captain Gorbach; and many others. Bansemer captures them all in their most characteristic poses. The star is always the "Titanic, majestic even at the bottom of the sea. Bansemer pays tribute to the many people who went down with her, acknowledging her role as their memorial resting place. This book, Roger Bansemer's written and painted journal of his journey to "Titanic, is also offered in their memory.

The Baroque period was in some senses the beginning of modern Western scientific and intellectual culture, the early budding of the Enlightenment. In the light of a new scientific and historical consciousness, it saw the rise of deism and the critique of traditional forms of Christianity. Secular values and institutions were openly or surreptitiously replacing the structures of traditional Christian society. At the same time, it was a time of religious renewal and of the reaffirmation of tradition. In sacred art, it was the age of of Bernini, Rubens, Van Dyck, Velazquez, and Rembrandt; in church music, the period of Monteverdi, Scarlatti, Handel, Telemann, and Bach. The pathos of Christ's crucifixion - its power to evoke strong emotions of pity and compassion - was a central element in Baroque theology and spirituality. The sacred arts of the period reflect the centrality of this theme. Many of the works of the period retain their ability to move us emotionally and spiritually centuries later - even though the theology they represent has been challenged and frequently rejected. This volume traces the ways in which Roman Catholic and Protestant theologies of the period continued to proclaim the centrality of cross of Christ to human salvation. In a parallel movement, it illustrates how musical and artistic works of the period were both inspired and informed by these theologies, and how they moved beyond them in an aesthetic mediation of faith.